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Blending timeless classics with new designs, the PING 2021 putters offer a variety of head shapes to fit the stroke of and the look wanted by a wide range of golfers.  Soft, responsive feel and excellent consistency.

Introduction

With the release of the G425 family of woods and irons garnering well deserved attention earlier this year, it was understandable that the smart folks at PING held off the release of their 2021 putter series until they could have their own spotlight.  And a big spotlight it is, with 11 models in a variety of shapes and sizes.  Why so many choices?  Because PING understands that a putter needs to appeal to a golfer’s eye as well as their stroke.

Looks

As one would expect from any PING putter collection, the 2021 series includes three timeless Anser models.  The balance of the series consists of three mid mallets and five mallets.  Although some shapes are familiar, the Tyne 4 (shown below) is the only non-blade carryover from the recent Heppler collection.  The Fetch may sound familiar, but the 2021 version has a cover over the unique ball retrieving cutout which gives it a vastly different look.

The 2021 series putters all have a black finish and a strong white alignment line – a very unified look at address.  A strip of red at the bottom edge of the insert really pops against the black face.  The red continues as an accent on the distinctive soles of the putters.  As always, the PING headcovers are high quality and visually appealing in the bag.

Sound & Feel

Although there were subtle differences among the three PING 2021 models I tested, they all shared a wonderfully soft feel and expressive ‘tawk’ with a premium golf ball.  As designed, the two layer dual-durometer insert provided a slightly firmer feel on longer putts.  The Oslo H felt a bit firmer overall which I attribute to having the most ‘beef’ behind the face.  Feedback to my hands was precise with centered contact being very satisfying.

To understand the sound, think of a low register country singer saying “tock.” As contact wavered from center, the sound lost some tone, which added to the feedback.  To my ear, the Tyne 4 resonated a tad hollow compared to the other two putters, but that’s really just splitting hairs.

Performance

Being the most similar in size to my gamer, the mid mallet Kushin 4 (above) was what I grabbed to start my test session, and I instantly felt comfortable with the grip and flow of the putter (more on that in a moment).  The parallel lines formed by the putter body along with the white alignment line gave me confidence in aiming and body alignment.  It only took three putts to be impressed with the consistency, with the balls finishing within inches of each other.

Switching to the Tyne 4, my observations were the same, but it finally registered that the face put a lovely roll on the ball.  Moving to the Oslo H shown below, my stroke wasn’t as solid but the results were still good.  To further test the forgiveness I purposely hit balls far towards the toe and heel, and all three models returned the same “no worries” message.

PING amped up the forgiveness of its 2021 series primarily through a mix of materials.  I mentioned the feel considerations of the dual-durameter insert on the face, but the firmer back layer also affords better distance control.  Along with the use of stainless steel and aluminum in the putter heads, the tungsten inserts you can see in the face work harmoniously to boost MOI and optimize CG for each model.

Back to the familiarity that the Kushin 4 gave me – it had to do with the toe hang and midsize pistol grip size.  PING offers their putters to fit three stroke types:  straight, slight arc, and strong arc.  Clearly delineated on their website, PING also identifies the stroke type on shaft stickers for quick in-store identification.  Although you can order your grip of choice, at retail locations expect to find the PING pistol shape that complements the stroke type of each putter model.  The Kushin 4 and Tyne 4 I tested both had the classic shaped PP58 Midsize.  The Oslo H had the PP60 with a larger flat top surface and more pronounced V along the bottom.  The third option is the straight taper PP58 S.

Conclusion

More than just a marketing tag line, the PING 2021 putter series truly strives to “improve results on the greens.”  As much as I appreciated the feedback, it was the consistency of performance that was most noteworthy.  Retailing for $249 (except the Harwood at $349), the PING 2021 putters fall right in line price wise with other high-quality, multi-material putters.  If you’ve been pondering a new putter, the PING 2021 models deserve close consideration.